Surpise B-day Dinner

Tuffli did it again! Several years ago Tuff planned a surprise birthday party for me and he did it again. On Tuesday, September 15th, we were just going to go out for a nice dinner, as far as I knew, and much to my surprise there was a table full of our wonderful friends! We had a wonderful time together! I am so blessed to have such a caring husband and wonderful friends!
Thank you all!

Surprised and pregnant Becky

From Left to right- top row: Andrew, Tuffli, Mary Jo, Li, Padma

Bottom row- Mike, Li Chin, Me

Missing from this picture- Rupert :(

Singapore Triathlon

Today, I embarked upon my first triathlon injury free. :-) It's been a long road to recovery, but I'm glad it's over and that I was able to train & compete without any pain in my lower back. Surprisingly, I was more nervous the night before (tossing and turning all night) in anticipation of the unknown, than I was on race day. Becky was a trooper and dealt with the heat (90F, but probably hotter with the humidity) cheering me on! It was great motivation knowing she was on the sidelines cheering for me. It was tough to gauge how I would fair up today considering the many variables: heat, humidity, hydration, if I would actually swim straight this time. We guessed around 1 hr 30 mins for the entire Tri....

Here I am getting ready to start

Anxiously waiting to start the swim.

The start was actually pretty good. Only 50-60 people per wave, which was much better than the 150 person wave at the Bintan Triathlon.

The ocean was warm and calm. Good thing all those barges & ships were out there to ease the current and swells ;-). About 200 meters into the swim, it "clicked" and I found the ability to sight/spot... I was tired of getting kicked by all the breast strokers.

The bike leg is my strongest discipline and was happy with a 36 min leg.

Coming out of transition to start the run. It was brutally hot and humid at this point, considering it was high noon. It didn't help that I had a cramp on my right side for more than half of the run.

Battling the heat/humidity, I finished strong and in need of water!

Overall, I was very happy with the entire event. I came in at 1 hr 26 mins and felt great with the outcome. Trifactor did a great job organizing their first Tri series. It's a great program to get beginners to try the sport in a very managable manner. Looking forward to next year when Becky will be joining me.

September Check Up

We met with Dr. Paul for our September check up. The baby is healthy, heart rate of 142 beats per minute. She is approximately 21 cm (8 inches) crown to rump and weighs 630 grams, or 1 lb 6 oz. In this scan you can see part of her profile and a healthy heart and stomach (the black space right below the heart). She is quite a mover and shaker, as I am constantly getting a wonderful reminder that she is healthy and happy in the womb.

Who does she favor- mom or dad?

Baby Nguyen

We were overjoyed to learn that we are expecting our first child, she is due on January 6, 2010. She is healthy and growing well. She has already become a world traveler, going to the US, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. We have attached a few pics of the growing baby bump. Tuffli has begun reading bedtime stories to her, which have included "The Butter Battle Book" and "Goodnight Moon". On September 4th Tuff was finally able to feel her kick for the first time! Last Sunday, September 6, we began parenting classes, which will continue for the next five weeks. Just in time for our trip to visit the US. Tuff and the other expecting fathers in the class were able to participate in the pre-natal exercises, quite a sight.

Yeah, we are preganant!

Later that night, before we could tell anyone, but we were so excited!

Here we are in Bintan, Indonesia, with Tuff who just finished his first Triathlon, and baby Nguyen's first trip out of Singapore! We were so proud of him!

Chaing Mai, Thailand, the baby's second trip out of Singapore.

Vietnam, with James, Angela, and Tuffli. Boy was it hot!

The ever growing baby bump in the van in Vietnam.

Home Sweet Singapore

We cannot believe it has already been two years since we arrived in Singapore. We really enjoy our home, the weather, and good friends. We have been very blessed to have many visitors during our stay here. Here are a few pics of where we call home.


This is our building. We are on the 10th floor.



This is our pool.



This is Tuffli looking at the pool on our home finding trip.



James and Tuff in our dining room.